Maths Untangled
From Scary to Simple with an Advanced Maths Teacher
Published on 23. February 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-1-912505-97-5 (ISBN)
Description
Maths does not have to be confusing or scary. It can be simple and understood by you.
This book is your 'no-nonsense' travel guide.
I am not a Mathematician. At school, I was no high-flier, not even an also ran. More a back-marker. I appreciate how it felt being the one who did not get it.
Helping struggling or disillusioned students UNTANGLE doubt and become less fearful was my passion and driving force as a teacher.
? To develop my own different creative approaches, to unlock their potential. The key?
? To build their resilience, self-esteem and confidence and achieve light bulb moments, positive attitude change, and new-found motivation.
? To gain a realisation it is possible to understand, and yes, even enjoy the subject.
My fondest memory is a bottom set student who wanted to be a mechanic and returned to tell me he became one.and returned to tell me he became one.
This book is your 'no-nonsense' travel guide.
I am not a Mathematician. At school, I was no high-flier, not even an also ran. More a back-marker. I appreciate how it felt being the one who did not get it.
Helping struggling or disillusioned students UNTANGLE doubt and become less fearful was my passion and driving force as a teacher.
? To develop my own different creative approaches, to unlock their potential. The key?
? To build their resilience, self-esteem and confidence and achieve light bulb moments, positive attitude change, and new-found motivation.
? To gain a realisation it is possible to understand, and yes, even enjoy the subject.
My fondest memory is a bottom set student who wanted to be a mechanic and returned to tell me he became one.and returned to tell me he became one.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Grendon Underwood
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 297 mm
Width: 210 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-912505-97-5 (9781912505975)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
At teacher training college, chance saw me on the main Mathematics course, with Art as a subsidiary, because I had not studied Art at A level. A life changer!
Teaching was my vocation. My career began in Birmingham, where I worked with many students who had English as a second language. I soon recognised that literacy was a vital ingredient to access and understand my own subject. So much of everyday language has the same meaning in mathematics. Words such as 'operation', 'function' and' factor' had the same meaning in both contexts. I never stopped learning or aspiring to be a 'better' teacher.
Prior to moving to the north-East, I was working as a numeracy consultant for Birmingham Education authority with some 70 plus secondary schools. As a departmental head before that appointment I devised my programme of work in a term and was praised, by Ofsted and my head teacher for turning the department around.
I have also been interviewed by the BBC. No fame or celebrity for me though. In my second year of teaching I was appointed as the first female head of IT. It was a challenge with 30 GCSE students and one tape reading machine that too often failed. I enjoyed it but as I gradually taught more IT and computing I came to the realisation my heart lay in mathematics teaching and never looked back.
I am proud of being awarded the title of AST (Advanced Skills Teacher) as colleagues, students and parents play a role in the determination of that status. A large part of the role meant designing and delivering training to colleagues across the North-East and disseminating 'best practice.'
On retiring in 2009 from full-time teaching, I was appointed part-time to the PGCE course at Newcastle University and later the Teachdirect teacher training scheme. It was a most rewarding time spent with new intake to our wonderful profession.
Teaching was my vocation. My career began in Birmingham, where I worked with many students who had English as a second language. I soon recognised that literacy was a vital ingredient to access and understand my own subject. So much of everyday language has the same meaning in mathematics. Words such as 'operation', 'function' and' factor' had the same meaning in both contexts. I never stopped learning or aspiring to be a 'better' teacher.
Prior to moving to the north-East, I was working as a numeracy consultant for Birmingham Education authority with some 70 plus secondary schools. As a departmental head before that appointment I devised my programme of work in a term and was praised, by Ofsted and my head teacher for turning the department around.
I have also been interviewed by the BBC. No fame or celebrity for me though. In my second year of teaching I was appointed as the first female head of IT. It was a challenge with 30 GCSE students and one tape reading machine that too often failed. I enjoyed it but as I gradually taught more IT and computing I came to the realisation my heart lay in mathematics teaching and never looked back.
I am proud of being awarded the title of AST (Advanced Skills Teacher) as colleagues, students and parents play a role in the determination of that status. A large part of the role meant designing and delivering training to colleagues across the North-East and disseminating 'best practice.'
On retiring in 2009 from full-time teaching, I was appointed part-time to the PGCE course at Newcastle University and later the Teachdirect teacher training scheme. It was a most rewarding time spent with new intake to our wonderful profession.
Content
Prologue i
Introduction: The Why? ii
1) Vocabulary Close to Everyday Usage to help our understanding 1
2) Stunning Superior Special Numbers 4
a) Endearing Even Numbers
b) Offbeat Odd Numbers
c) Intimidating Integers
d) Reprobate Reciprocals
e) Scary Square Numbers
f) Terrifying Triangle Numbers
g) Roguish Rectangle Numbers
h) Formidable Factors and Fiendish Factor Pairs
i) Perturbing Primes
j) REMEMBER these NUMBER FACTS
k) Horrendous Highest Common Factor (HCF)
l) Menacing Multiples and Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
m) Purely Perturbing Product of Prime Factors
3) Ominous Operations: The big Four 17
a) Aggravating Addition
b) Stressful Subtraction
4) Torrid Time a) Testing Time Intervals 21
b) Taxing 12 and 24 hour clock
5) Ominous Operations: The Return 24
a) Pretentious Product or Maddening Multiplication X
b) Tedious Tables
c) Grid Method of Multiplication
d) Dastardly Division
e) Ingenious Inverse Operations
6) Problematic Place Value 35
a) Organising Order Ascending or Descending
7) Fearsome Fractions 41
a) Muddling Mixed Numbers
b) Tortuous Top-Heavy Fractions
c) Curious Convert A Top-Heavy to A Mixed Number
d) Certified Convert A Mixed Number to A Top-Heavy Fraction (The Reverse)
e) Frightful Finding Fractions of An Amount
f) Pompous Proper Fractions
g) Ill-mannered Improper Fractions
h) Excruciating Equivalent Fractions
8) Ominous Operations with Fearsome Fractions (+- x / The Big Four!): 52
a) Aggravating Addition and Stressful Subtraction of Fractions
b) Maddening Multiplication of Fractions
c) Dastardly Division of Fractions
d) Frightful Finding One Amount as a Fraction of Another
9) Prickly Percentages 61
a) Exasperating Express One Number as a Percentage of Another
b) Preposterous Percentage Increase and Decrease
10) Despicable Decimals 74
a) Muddling Money
b) Risky Reading Despicable Decimals
c) Aggravating Add or Stressful Subtract Decimals
d) Calamitous Convert or Change Dreary Decimals to Fearsome Fractions
e) Calamitous Convert or Change Fearsome Fractions to Dreary Decimals
f) Maddening Multiplication and Dastardly Division of Decimals
g) Convert Dastardly Divisions to Dreary Decimals
h) Revolting Recurring Decimals
i) Idiotic Infinite Ones
11) Abominable Approximations or Rotten Rounding 85
a) Wearisome Whole numbers
b) Dreadful Decimal Places (DP) or (dp)
c) Stupefying Significant Figures (SF)or (sf)
12) Mystifying Measures 90
a) Confusing Conversions
b) Torrid Time
c) Loathsome Length(Suffix Metres)
d) Chilling Capacity (Suffix Litres)
e) Wretched Weight (Suffix Grams)
f) Fiendish Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
g) Obnoxious Other Conversions Old Imperial and New Metric
13) Nasty Negative Numbers 99
a) Aggravating Addition and Stressful Subtraction of Nasty Negatives
b) Maddening Multiplication of Nasty Negatives
c) Dastardly Division with Nasty Negative Numbers
14) Noxious Numeracy Problems 106
a) Shocking Salaries and Wages
b) Irritating Income Tax
c) Vile Value Added Tax (VAT) 20%
d) Petrifying Profit and Loss
e) Sordid Savings and Interest
f) Constraining Credit
g) Baffling Best Buys
15) Revolting Ratios 112
a) Sticky Simplifying Ratios
16) Perplexing Proportion 115
17) Arduous Algebra in all its Glory 119
a) Arduous Algebra Addition and Subtraction
b) Collecting (A)Like Terms
c) Arduous Algebra Multiplication
d) Arduous Algebra Division
e) Impossible Indices or Powers
f) Atrocious Algebra Expressions
18) Burdensome Brackets: 130
a) Bothersome BODMAS (or BIDMAS which I prefer)
b) Bad brackets in Algebra
c) Extreme Expand or Multiply out One Bracket and Simplify
d) Extreme Expand or Multiply out Two Brackets and Simplify
e) Defiant Difference of Two Squares
19) Frightening Factorising in Algebra: 137
a) Frightening factorise these Expressions with ONE bracket
b) Frightening Factorise these Expressions with TWO brackets
20) Sickening Solving Algebraic Equations: 143
a) Odious 'One-step Equations
b) Troublesome Two-Step Equations
c) Fatiguing Forming and Solving an Algebraic Equation
d) Laborious Letters Appear on Both Sides of the Equation
e) Quirky Quadratic Equations with the Letter squared
f) Terrible Trial and Improvement
g) Supremely Scary Simultaneous Equations
21) Irksome Inequalities Symbols > ? < ? 166
22) Supremely Stupefying Surds (or Roots): 169
23) Spooking Standard Index Form: 174
24) Frightful Formulae: 176
a) Shifty Substitution into formulae
b) Tricky Transformation of Formulae
25) Shape and Space: The Final Frontier: 180
a) Lousy Lines
b) Awful Angles (Right, Acute, Obtuse, Reflex, Right)
c) Awful Angles on a Straight Line Add up to 180 degrees
d) Vertically Opposite Angles
26) Awful Angles on Parallel lines: 186
a) Interior Angles on Parallel Lines
b) Alternate Angles on Parallel Lines
c) Corresponding Angles on Parallel Lines
27) Symmetry: 190
a) Bilateral Symmetry or Mirror Symmetry
b) Rotational Symmetry
28) Useful Terms to Understand in Shape, Space and Measures: 192
29) Startling Sum of Interior angles in Shapes: 194
a) Agitating Angle Sum of a Triangle
b) Agitating Angle Sum Inside any 2D Shape or Polygon
30) Painful Perimeter and Agonising Area 198
a) Painful Perimeter
b) Agonising Area
31) Confusing Circles: 207
a) Painful Perimeter and Contrary Circumference
b) Appalling Area of a Circle
32) Vexatious Volume of Prisms: 209
33) Pythagoras Theorem: 212
34) Calm, Comfy, Consoling Conclusion: 215
35) Solutions to Questions: 216
Introduction: The Why? ii
1) Vocabulary Close to Everyday Usage to help our understanding 1
2) Stunning Superior Special Numbers 4
a) Endearing Even Numbers
b) Offbeat Odd Numbers
c) Intimidating Integers
d) Reprobate Reciprocals
e) Scary Square Numbers
f) Terrifying Triangle Numbers
g) Roguish Rectangle Numbers
h) Formidable Factors and Fiendish Factor Pairs
i) Perturbing Primes
j) REMEMBER these NUMBER FACTS
k) Horrendous Highest Common Factor (HCF)
l) Menacing Multiples and Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
m) Purely Perturbing Product of Prime Factors
3) Ominous Operations: The big Four 17
a) Aggravating Addition
b) Stressful Subtraction
4) Torrid Time a) Testing Time Intervals 21
b) Taxing 12 and 24 hour clock
5) Ominous Operations: The Return 24
a) Pretentious Product or Maddening Multiplication X
b) Tedious Tables
c) Grid Method of Multiplication
d) Dastardly Division
e) Ingenious Inverse Operations
6) Problematic Place Value 35
a) Organising Order Ascending or Descending
7) Fearsome Fractions 41
a) Muddling Mixed Numbers
b) Tortuous Top-Heavy Fractions
c) Curious Convert A Top-Heavy to A Mixed Number
d) Certified Convert A Mixed Number to A Top-Heavy Fraction (The Reverse)
e) Frightful Finding Fractions of An Amount
f) Pompous Proper Fractions
g) Ill-mannered Improper Fractions
h) Excruciating Equivalent Fractions
8) Ominous Operations with Fearsome Fractions (+- x / The Big Four!): 52
a) Aggravating Addition and Stressful Subtraction of Fractions
b) Maddening Multiplication of Fractions
c) Dastardly Division of Fractions
d) Frightful Finding One Amount as a Fraction of Another
9) Prickly Percentages 61
a) Exasperating Express One Number as a Percentage of Another
b) Preposterous Percentage Increase and Decrease
10) Despicable Decimals 74
a) Muddling Money
b) Risky Reading Despicable Decimals
c) Aggravating Add or Stressful Subtract Decimals
d) Calamitous Convert or Change Dreary Decimals to Fearsome Fractions
e) Calamitous Convert or Change Fearsome Fractions to Dreary Decimals
f) Maddening Multiplication and Dastardly Division of Decimals
g) Convert Dastardly Divisions to Dreary Decimals
h) Revolting Recurring Decimals
i) Idiotic Infinite Ones
11) Abominable Approximations or Rotten Rounding 85
a) Wearisome Whole numbers
b) Dreadful Decimal Places (DP) or (dp)
c) Stupefying Significant Figures (SF)or (sf)
12) Mystifying Measures 90
a) Confusing Conversions
b) Torrid Time
c) Loathsome Length(Suffix Metres)
d) Chilling Capacity (Suffix Litres)
e) Wretched Weight (Suffix Grams)
f) Fiendish Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
g) Obnoxious Other Conversions Old Imperial and New Metric
13) Nasty Negative Numbers 99
a) Aggravating Addition and Stressful Subtraction of Nasty Negatives
b) Maddening Multiplication of Nasty Negatives
c) Dastardly Division with Nasty Negative Numbers
14) Noxious Numeracy Problems 106
a) Shocking Salaries and Wages
b) Irritating Income Tax
c) Vile Value Added Tax (VAT) 20%
d) Petrifying Profit and Loss
e) Sordid Savings and Interest
f) Constraining Credit
g) Baffling Best Buys
15) Revolting Ratios 112
a) Sticky Simplifying Ratios
16) Perplexing Proportion 115
17) Arduous Algebra in all its Glory 119
a) Arduous Algebra Addition and Subtraction
b) Collecting (A)Like Terms
c) Arduous Algebra Multiplication
d) Arduous Algebra Division
e) Impossible Indices or Powers
f) Atrocious Algebra Expressions
18) Burdensome Brackets: 130
a) Bothersome BODMAS (or BIDMAS which I prefer)
b) Bad brackets in Algebra
c) Extreme Expand or Multiply out One Bracket and Simplify
d) Extreme Expand or Multiply out Two Brackets and Simplify
e) Defiant Difference of Two Squares
19) Frightening Factorising in Algebra: 137
a) Frightening factorise these Expressions with ONE bracket
b) Frightening Factorise these Expressions with TWO brackets
20) Sickening Solving Algebraic Equations: 143
a) Odious 'One-step Equations
b) Troublesome Two-Step Equations
c) Fatiguing Forming and Solving an Algebraic Equation
d) Laborious Letters Appear on Both Sides of the Equation
e) Quirky Quadratic Equations with the Letter squared
f) Terrible Trial and Improvement
g) Supremely Scary Simultaneous Equations
21) Irksome Inequalities Symbols > ? < ? 166
22) Supremely Stupefying Surds (or Roots): 169
23) Spooking Standard Index Form: 174
24) Frightful Formulae: 176
a) Shifty Substitution into formulae
b) Tricky Transformation of Formulae
25) Shape and Space: The Final Frontier: 180
a) Lousy Lines
b) Awful Angles (Right, Acute, Obtuse, Reflex, Right)
c) Awful Angles on a Straight Line Add up to 180 degrees
d) Vertically Opposite Angles
26) Awful Angles on Parallel lines: 186
a) Interior Angles on Parallel Lines
b) Alternate Angles on Parallel Lines
c) Corresponding Angles on Parallel Lines
27) Symmetry: 190
a) Bilateral Symmetry or Mirror Symmetry
b) Rotational Symmetry
28) Useful Terms to Understand in Shape, Space and Measures: 192
29) Startling Sum of Interior angles in Shapes: 194
a) Agitating Angle Sum of a Triangle
b) Agitating Angle Sum Inside any 2D Shape or Polygon
30) Painful Perimeter and Agonising Area 198
a) Painful Perimeter
b) Agonising Area
31) Confusing Circles: 207
a) Painful Perimeter and Contrary Circumference
b) Appalling Area of a Circle
32) Vexatious Volume of Prisms: 209
33) Pythagoras Theorem: 212
34) Calm, Comfy, Consoling Conclusion: 215
35) Solutions to Questions: 216